World of Work Conference at Doha College
Two important staples of the Year 10 academic year, namely work experience placements and “Take Your Child to Work” day, were added to the list of pandemic casualties, with visits to workplaces stopped until further notice. But helping students understand life after school remains high among the priorities of Doha College.
Our school prepares students for the outside world as comprehensively as possible, and part of this preparation is introducing them to professions and work environments as they function on a day-to-day basis.
To circumvent the difficulties brought by the restrictions, Doha College came up with the next best thing: instead of bringing the children into professionals’ environment, it brought professionals into school. Doha College had the honour of welcoming a lawyer, a doctor, a pilot, and a sports marketer to talk to the students about their careers. (More had been planned, but Covid struck again!)
The Year 10 students walked through the school doors unrecognisable in their business attire, exuding confidence and credibility, their minds open to the possibilities about to be unravelled by their mentors for the day. They attended workshops on banking, financial futures, personal presence and presentation skills training, as well as interview and transferable skills workshops.
Other interesting expertise shared on the day came from Doha College teachers who, before becoming educators, had worked as a flight simulator engineer (Mr Hackett), an environmental and geographical manager (Ms McIntosh), a journalist (Mrs Finnegan), a firefighter with the emergency services (Mrs Prescott), and an economist (Mr Birch).
To add an element fitness to the day, and some respite from the intense training on fascinating yet unfamiliar topics (work-life balance is also important!), the students took part in an EvoFit class. They undertook this class considering the angle of the coaches delivering it, and trying to imagine themselves on the other side of the lesson.
